A/N: I'll take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Part 3

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When they stepped through the ornate wooden pub doors the clock above the bar said it was precisely seven thirty; but Donna wasn't especially worried about that. Instead sense of excitement within her sought a particular form that she hoped was in there, somewhere. Alas, she couldn't spot him.

The pub interior was full of low wooden beams and loud red carpeting, like many country pubs seemed to have, around a fireplace decorated with horse brasses. There were half a dozen or so people already in the bar, so she lead Jocasta further in. "You sit yourself down here..." She guided her to a seat by the large fireplace that dominated one corner of the salon where Jocasta would be able to observe almost everybody. "...and I'll go and get us a drink while we wait. What can I get you?"

Jocasta nervously smiled her thanks, requesting, "A glass of white wine if they have it, or a sweet sherry if they don't, please."

After draping her coat over the back of her assigned chair, Donna then headed for the bar. She had almost reached it when the sole bloke leaning against it turned and she was able to see his face.

"Hello!" she gasped out in surprise.

Before her was not some near-middle aged balding man with terrible dress sense and the faint odour of cow dung that she'd been anticipating. No, instead was a well-dressed nearing middle-age man in black tight fitting jeans that showed off his bum very nicely, a black shirt covered by a charcoal jumper, a dazzling smile on a still handsome face, topped by a thick head of brown hair that framed his features in such a way that she instantly wanted to reach out and swipe his fringe out of his smouldering chocolate-y velvet brown eyes. Gobsmacked is the phrase she'd use to describe herself in that instance as she took in his transformation.

"Hello!" John greeted her in return. It was her; it was actually her! All it had taken was a casual invitation for the woman he wanted to appear to stand before him, so taking a deep breath to calm his nerves; he took the initiative to lean forward and kiss her cheek. It was a risk that immediately paid off in droves; and he wasn't just talking about the chance to taste her soft skin. He'd heard that city types liked that sort of thing, and evidently she did, judging by the way she moved closer. He had to say, she looked stunning as she stood before him wearing a blue dress this time, in a shade which brought out the colour of her eyes beautifully. "Let me get you a drink. What would you like?"

Despite hearing this expected question, she was caught completely off guard. "Oh erm. A Coke for me, please, and do they have a white wine? I've brought along my employer, you see; she hasn't been in here before and wanted to see who came in, so...," Donna apologetically blustered.

John smiled kindly. His evening may have taken an unwanted turn but he didn't have to be an arse about it. It was retrievable. "That's okay. I understand."

"You'll understand a bit more when you meet her," she confessed in a low tone.

He liked the way she had leaned in to whisper into his ear, brushing her whole body against his in a tantalising way. The next second it was sadly over and she was standing away from his personal zone, but not too far, he noted.

The barman soon appeared on the other side of the bar and dealt with their order, so John took the opportunity to gaze upon Donna as she stood before him. There was a strange mix of anxiety and confidence in her pose. "Is there something the matter?" he asked.

She grimaced ever so slightly for a second. "No, not really but I think I'd better warn you that I found out what sort of writer Jocasta is."

Intrigued, he pressed her for information. "Is it something good or bad? Will she be plotting my murder by the end of the evening, or how to organise my chrysanthemums?"

"Probably the complete opposite of murder, but it would involve groaning." Donna blushed when his eyebrows shot up in surprise. Yeah, she really didn't need to fancy this man-puppy any more than she did at the moment, but she had to warn him. "She writes romances; historical romances."

"And...?" he encouraged as he handed her a filled glass before picking up the wine and his own beer.

Donna started to lead the way to their table, telling him as she turned, "We might end up in her next book."

He let that sink in as he followed but he was instantly distracted by the sway of her hips and the way her dress skimmed over her bottom to land mid-thigh, letting his gaze easily glide down her long legs. As his American friend would say, she had a mighty fine ass! The view was certainly doing things to him as he watched her manoeuvre her way across the pub. She stopped in front of a bizarrely dressed woman who looked old enough to be her mother but obviously wasn't. There was more than a vague familiarity about her as she stared up at him inquisitively.

"Jocasta, this is John that I met this afternoon. John, my employer, Jocasta," Donna made the introductions, and watched as they briefly shook hands.

"You might have seen me before. I've lived here in the village for almost seven years now," Jocasta brightly added as she took him in. Hmm. She could certainly see what had caught Donna's eye. Whether he was worth the interest was about to be found out.

"Seven years? Still quite new around here then," John commented as he stood within her enquiring gaze.

"How long does it take normally take to be accepted as a local?" Donna couldn't help asking as they sat themselves down, and was pleased that John had shifted his chair closer to hers.

"Only a lifetime," John joked, although he wondered if outsiders were ever considered to be local. "Is your wine okay, Jocasta?" he aimed towards her.

She took an extremely cautious sip. Then she pulled a face that was half in pain, half in satisfaction. "It will do," she stated and then waved her hand at the two of them. "Don't mind me; just carry on as though I weren't here."

Trying to stifle a laugh, Donna retorted, "It's a bit hard to do that, Jocasta, when you might as well bring out your microscope to peer at us with."

Jocasta merely ignored that and turned her full gaze onto John. "Tell me, John, what did you think when you first saw Donna here?"

John spluttered into the beer he was trying to drink. How was he supposed to answer that? "She suddenly appeared on the edge of our bottom field. I wondered if she were real for a second."

"Why was that?" Jocasta enquired.

"Because she looked like..." The confession halted on his lips. He didn't want to tell this Jocasta woman that Donna had made him think he was seeing an angel; that was for him to tell in private. "...someone wanting to know if I had any eggs on me."

"Eggs?!" Donna sneered. "Why would I want to stop you for eggs, farm boy?!"

A chuckle almost escaped. "Outsiders to the village often expect us to carry milk and eggs with us, but you obviously didn't." He smiled consolingly. "Although I did expect your car to be stuck in the mud or a ditch somewhere."

She lightly swatted his arm. "I'm not that daft!"

"How am I to know?" he teased. Oh how he wanted to reach out and touch her then, any small gesture would do; but for some reason they had ended up with a chaperone. "But I'm hoping you have more than a few brain cells to rub together."

"Why's that?" Donna queried, swiftly intrigued. "Are you secretly working for MI5? Will you suddenly swing into my bedroom with a box of Black Magic?"

"Because the lady loves," John quoted the old chocolates advert, and they giggled together. "No, although if you want me to come in your bedroom I..." His attention was abruptly focused on the fact that Jocasta was sitting there, peering at him intensely, so he cleared his throat and returned to Donna's original question. "I usually come in here on a Monday night to take part in a pub quiz, if you're interested."

"I'm game; what about you, Jocasta?" Donna enthused and then waited for the answer.

"Ooh, a pub quiz. How spiffing! I've never seen one in action. I may sit and watch for a while if I don't know any of the non-book answers," Jocasta eagerly replied. "Don't mind me; just go ahead with your fun. But I want to leave before it gets too dark. I hope you don't mind too much." She set her beady eyes on Donna to emphasise her point.

"Alright," Donna reluctantly agreed. "I'll make sure you get home safely. Did you have any plans in mind for later?"

Jocasta primly replied, "I plan to be tucked up in bed reading a book so I don't want to get home too late."

"What time is too late?" Donna asked, hoping it wouldn't be too early; and revised her own plans for being tucked up in bed or anywhere else.

"Well, you both have work in the morning," Jocasta reminded her, "so I think no later than an hour before closing time, don't you?!"

Donna nodded her agreement. Jocasta had a point after all; so she turned her attention onto John. "What's the setup for this quiz?"

Smirking in delight, he drew out his writing implements. "All we need is a spare half hour or so, some brains and the provided answer sheet."

Normally John joined some others in a quiz team but he decided to start his own little team with Donna and Jocasta. Fortunately he had had the chance to forewarn his team mates of this possible decision, sure in the knowledge they'd understand, just this once, and not doubting he'd gain some light-hearted ribbing over it.

When the questions started up it was easy to forget that Jocasta was sitting watching everything, and he almost snuggled up with Donna over their sheet of paper as they jotted down their answers. He let her do the writing whilst he whispered into her ear. Excellent plan, he decided, since this required wrapping his left arm around her shoulder and keeping his right hand on the table next to hers, occasionally taking over the writing when he knew that the answer required a particularly tricky word. That was his excuse for almost holding hands or trailing his fingertips across her exposed skin every now and then as they exchanged responses, of the verbal and nonverbal kind.

By the end of the quiz, he was pleasantly surprised how far her general knowledge went; she answered some sports questions he would never have known, and he could feel her being impressed by his scientific knowledge. Together they managed to gain quite an impressive score. Of course it had been the one question they had disagreed over and guessed the answer for that lost them the contest to another team, but it didn't really matter; for John was certain he was winning in the grand scheme of things by having such a delectable companion for the evening.

"Thank you," he murmured and brought her hand up to kiss the back of it in a gentlemanly manner, pressing his soft lips onto her pale but freckly skin.

Donna was taken aback that he'd done this, but then he had spent the entire time placing tender touches on her hand whilst keeping those lips of his within easy snogging distance. He was keen, she had to give him that; and he smelt divine! When you added it all up, he was a gorgeous package that any woman would be happy to have practically drooling over them. "You're welcome," she gushed in return. "Jocasta's no doubt getting ready to go," she noted as Jocasta headed towards the toilets. "I wonder if she got what she wanted?"

"No doubt," John retorted low into her ear. "Look, I'm not trying to be mean, but can we not worry about her for a minute? Right now I couldn't care less, and I'd much rather talk about you."